WSU started the match with a different look in the starting lineup, adding junior Ashley Smith and sophomore Jennie Kunc to the defensive.

The Cougars put the pressure on the Lobos from the first whistle, recording four shots in the first 16 minutes of the game. One of the shots was taken by senior forward Nicole Wilcox from 12 yards out. Wilcox took on two Lobo defenders and took a blast from 12 yards out hitting the crossbar.

Another Cougar opportunity came at the 24:50 mark off of a Rachel Rodrick corner kick. Senior defender Mariette Boyce made an aggressive diving header attempt on goal that went just past the goalpost.

Three minutes before half it looked like Rodrick was going to have her fourth-consecutive goal in a game when Wilcox chipped a through ball from the half-line to Rodrick who was running full-throttle toward goal. She collected the ball, dribbled and took a strike from 19 yards out that went just wide of the far-left post.

The Cougs went into halftime with a 7-1 advantage on shots and 2-1 edge in corner kicks.

WSU senior midfielder Kim Morgan had a point-blank shot from the 18 yard line 17 minutes into the second half. Lobo goalkeeper Kristen Winters just got her finger tips on Morgan's shot, pushing it up enough that the ball hit off the crossbar to UNM defender Ashley Lowery who cleared it out of danger.

The winning goal came at the 78:23 mark as a result of a series of WSU passes. Junior Cailan McCutchan scored the third goal of her career from a 30-yard rocket. Wilcox ran onto a ball on the left flank and passed it to Christie Spear who was waiting at the top of the 18-yard box. With defenders all around her, Spear laid the ball off to McCutchan who teed up the ball and shot it over Winters into the upper-left hand corner of the goal.

The Lobos upped their pressure, making several offensive-minded substitutions, forcing Washington State goalkeeper Katie Hultin to come up with a huge save in the 89th minute. Hultin rose over Boyce and a pair of Lobo forwards to punch out a dangerous ball that was served to the top of the box.

"It may have been a 1-0 game," WSU head coach Matt Potter said. "But it could have been more, sometimes you create chances that don't go your way and that's okay, but you need to keep grinding it out. We tried different combinations of multiple players and still continued to create chances.

"Credit to New Mexico for continuing to battle, playing like they did today, I am sure it's only a matter of time before they get a positive result."

"Bottom line is 1-0 is still a solid win based on our performance, and that means we have played 180 minutes without giving up a goal. This is important looking to next weekend and we need to carry this forward for our game against Texas."

The Cougars travel to Austin, Texas to take on the Longhorns next weekend. The game will be played Friday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. at Myers Stadium.